A FORMER labourer's death was caused by a disease "the scientific world doesn't yet fully understand".

An inquest into the death of Anthony Kenneth Williamson, 67, of Wood Green, Mold, established his death was likely to have been caused by exposure to asbestos during his working life.

John Gittins, senior coroner for North Wales East and Central, told the hearing at County Hall in Mold that Mr Williamson contracted malignant mesothelioma of the lung - an asbestos related cancer.

Before retiring due to ill health, Mr Williamson worked at Shotton Steelworks and as a labourer on many building sites, and would likely have been exposed to much more asbestos than the average person.

The inquest heard that in May, 2019, Mr Williamson - following having spates of severe coughing - underwent both a ultra-sound and CT scans at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

They revealed that Mr Williamson had stage 3 mesothelioma.

With scans revealing the progressive stage of Mr Williamson's cancer, his consultant deemed that surgery would not have been successful in treating the cancer.

Michael Williamson, brother of the deceased, told the inquest that Mr Williamson's cancer "developed so fast" and that the severe coughing only took place "a few weeks" before his diagnoses.

Mr Williamson died at Wrexham Maelor Hospital on June 18, 2019.

A post mortem in to his death confirmed traces of malignant mesothelioma.

Mr Gittins said: "It's a disease the scientific world doesn't yet fully understand - it's still, to a large extent, an unknown quantity."

Recording the death as a result of industrial disease, Mr Gittins said: "I am satisfied the cause of death is mesothelioma and on balance of probabilities that was the result of being exposed to asbestos during his working life."